Over a year ago during one of my last visits to my childhood home, I took three cuttings from a Christmas cactus that belonged to my mother for many years. Before that, it lived at my great grandmother’s house for decades. It is probably older than I am. My mother’s plant bloomed prolifically in the sunporch every years with minimal care.

This month a few buds appeared on two of my cuttings, and this week the first one opened. I do not remember ever looking so closely at the delicate, ravishing flower. Probably as a child I took them for granted, there were so many of them on that venerable plant. Many things we do not appreciate as children later become riches, whether lost or saved. I am happy to have this one.

So I have decided to participate in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, which occurs on the 15th of every month. Gardening here from November to March is a bit of a challenge. I am not so dedicated or lucky with houseplants as with their outdoor cousins. So this is a challenge to myself to garden indoors and make the winter household more lively.